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    Promises: A Joshua’s Island Christmas
    Promises: A Joshua’s Island Christmas
    Promises: A Joshua’s Island Christmas
    Ebook48 pages37 minutes

    Promises: A Joshua’s Island Christmas

    By Patrick Hodges

    ()

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    About this ebook

    After years of bullying, Joshua Harper’s life has completely turned around, thanks in no small part to his girlfriend Eve Devereaux.


    With the holidays approaching, he’s started to realize that as tough as being in a relationship is, finding her the perfect gift may be even tougher.


    Christmas is the season for giving. But what do you give the girl to whom you owe everything?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNext Chapter
    Release dateDec 8, 2021
    Promises: A Joshua’s Island Christmas

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      Book preview

      Promises - Patrick Hodges

      1

      FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5

      Two months, I think as I stare at the television screen. Two months since Eve became my girlfriend. Two months since my life completely changed.

      I resist the urge to look at Eve, sitting next to me on the couch, instead trying to divide my attention between Arthur Christmas playing on the Devereaux’s huge TV and the mental checklist I tattooed on my brain for situations like this.

      Rule #1: hold her close, but not too close.

      Rule #2: when holding her, keep my hands on the designated safe areas at all times.

      Rule #3: when I look at her, keep my eyes on her face, not her body.

      Rule #4: No tongue kissing until she signals she’s ready. Which she hasn’t yet.

      These rules have served me well for the past two months. Except that they’ve turned me into a basket case.

      This is not how I pictured having a girlfriend would be. I’m happy, but I’m also not. I’m afraid to say, do, think anything that will get me in trouble with her. I was in a very dark place when we met, and I’m terrified that losing her will shove me right back into it.

      Sprawled on the carpet in front of us, Kirsten and Sophie throw occasional little-girl flirty looks at me, and I smile back. I love the attention, but I can tell how much it annoys Eve.

      I’m vaguely aware of Eve pausing the movie so Sophie can use the bathroom and Kirsten can raid the fridge for something unhealthy to snack on. When both girls run giggling out of the room, Eve turns her beautiful brown eyes to me. You know, sometimes I wonder if it’s me you come over to spend time with, or them.

      I plaster on an innocent grin. You gotta admit, they give the greatest hugs on Earth.

      She laughs, and I relax. True enough. You should know, though, Kirsten and Sophie are never this well-behaved when it’s just me babysitting them.

      My brow furrows. Really?

      I’m not saying they’re terrors, they’re just not perfect little angels either.

      That’s what little sisters are for, I guess.

      She reaches over and picks a stapled pile of papers off the end-table, where she set it earlier. She shows it to me, tracing the large red ‘A’ at the top with her finger. Thanks for letting me read this. Are you sure it’s okay?

      A few weeks ago, my English Comp teacher asked everyone in class to write a fictional story, any genre. I threw myself into the assignment, and it unlocked something inside me that I never knew existed: a desire to tell stories, just like the dozens of books that fill my bedroom shelves. While I recovered from Brent’s beating, when there wasn’t much to do but watch TV and stare at the walls, writing this story gave me something to focus on. By the time I returned to school, I’d written an eight-thousand-word story, nearly double the required length. When I showed the ‘A’ to Eve and her two best friends, Emily and Susan, they all squealed in delight.

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